Researchers at NASA and the University of Arizona, Tucson will be working together to bring long-term sustainability to our space pioneers - one greenhouse at a time.

The greenhouse is made of an inflatable material and functions as a closed loop, integrated with the astronaut's life support systems. Astronauts exhale carbon dioxide, which plants absorb. Such production will support astronauts' nutrition and will help with the air revitalization, waste recycling, and water recycling. Water will either be shuttled along from Earth or sourced from "the lunar or Martian landing site", NASA notes. It will continuously flow across the root zone of the plants and return to the storage system.

NASA is working on a greenhouse system that can potentially allow astronauts to grow plants and vegetables during space missions. The Crew Dragon will be fully autonomous, the company said, so the space travelers won't have to be trained astronauts-their voyage can be monitored and controlled by SpaceX mission specialists on the ground in Hawthorne, Calif. Lift-off will be from Kennedy Space Center's historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral-the same launch pad used by the Apollo astronauts.

The inflatable greenhouse that can grow vegetables and feed astronauts on Mars is now being studied at the University of Arizona.

"The entire system of the lunar greenhouse does represent, in a small way, the biological systems that are here on Earth", Wheeler said.

Dr. Roberto Furfaro is the lead investigator from the University of Arizona for the current phase of the project. The prototypes of the lunar greenhouse now being developed are cylindrical, measuring 18 feet long and more than 8 feet in diameter.

The prototypes are cylindrical structures that measure 18 feet in length and are more than 8 feet in diameter.

Greenhouse units that will be sent for space missions will likely be buried under surface soil or the regolith to protect them from radiation in space, which means that these systems would require specialized lighting. The Veggie systems on board the International Space Station already grow crops in space and use a purplish lighting made via a combination of red and blue Leds. The researchers are also testing hybrids with both natural and artificial lighting.

follow

editors' picks

April 28, 2017Israel fires down incoming "target" from Syria
According to Syrian military defectors, the airport targeted by the strikes plays a major role as a conduit for arms from Iran. The drone, most likely Russian, safely returned to Syria after two Patriot missiles and a warplane failed to intercept it.

April 28, 2017NFL Draft 2017: 49ers pck Stanford DE Solomon Thomas
On tape, Thomas is a dominant run defender who wins with an uncommon blend of power, speed, and quickness on the interior. For moving down one spot, San Francisco picked up third- and fourth-round picks in this draft and a 2018 third-rouder.

April 27, 2017Ignore Trump on climate
The country will march forward on its goal irrespective of Trump deciding to pull out of the Paris Agreement or not. The U.S., on the other hand, has aggressively cut emissions by allowing natural gas to replace coal, Perry said.

April 26, 2017Movie On Vince McMahon's Career Moving Forward
McMahon, who had a legendary feud with Austin and faced off against numerous great names of wrestling. TriStar Pictures is getting into the ring for a biopic about WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.

April 26, 2017North Korea says don't mess with us as US plans next move
China may be getting fed up with continued nuclear bluster from long-time ally North Korea and tilting toward the United States. It is now heading to the region and will carry out maneuvers in the waters of the Sea of Japan near the Korean peninsula.

April 26, 2017Writers Guild Authorizes Strike
We'll get to what each side wants later, but first up, let's look at what on-screen product will look like if a strike happens. This already makes the 2017 situation much different from what happened in 2007, since everyone saw that strike coming.

April 26, 2017Thousands at Auschwitz for yearly Holocaust memorial event
The President said the US will "stamp out hatred" - despite the accusations facing him and members of his White House staff. On this day, we also honor the survivors and those who fought against this unspeakable, malevolent mass crime.

April 24, 2017Manchester City vs. Arsenal live stream
He won while playing for Barcelona to help the Blaugrana claim the 1991-92 European Cup, per Man City's official site . Yet Arsenal's play still lacked conviction and by the 62nd minute the scoreline finally reflected City's dominance.